Bonds
by Gazing on the Arabesque
Summary: Naruto wants to be the greatest Pokemon champion ever, Sasuke wants to stay one step ahead of him, and Sakura wants to become a Pokemon professor. With the evil organization Akatsuki on the loose, can they survive?
1. vs Bulbasaur

**Woo, I'm so original. It's a Naruto/Pokémon crossover fic! This will be VERY LOOSELY based on the manga. But… first some things you should keep in mind:**

**Everybody is thirteen at the beginning. **

**No one starts with cliché Pokémon. No Vulpix/Ninetails for Naruto or Jigglypuff for Sakura. Nope… Well, actually Sakura's first Pokémon is a little cliché. **

**The regions in this (Hi, Kaze, Mizu, Kaminari and Tetsu) are like the Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning and Iron countries on Naruto**

**The story starts in Konoha in Hi (the Fire Country) and then proceeds to the other regions.**

**Likewise, new Pokémon will not be discovered until new regions are unveiled.**

**Now a little background info on the main characters themselves:**

**Uzumaki Naruto: A Pokémon trainer who strives to be the very best, Naruto loves catching Pokémon with Pikachu, his first Pokémon. Usually very kind and honest, he does tend to show off to the children of Pallet Town.**

**Uchiha Sasuke: A remarkable trainer in his own right and Naruto's childhood friend/rival, Sasuke often finds himself the object of unwanted fangirl attention, although. Arrogant with a superiority complex because of his brother's Elite Four status, he always strives to stay one step ahead of Naruto. Even though his fangirls have turned him against the female sex for the most part, he still has a soft spot for Sakura.**

**Haruno Sakura: A girl raised by the renowned Pokémon professor Tsunade, all Sakura wants to do is study Pokémon, although she is a competent battler when she needs to be. She has a tremendous amount of raw strength, which she often unleashes on Naruto during her fits of rage. She has a slight crush on Sasuke.**

**Tsunade: A renowned Pokémon professor, Tsunade studies Pokémon day in and day out with her assistants and adopted daughters Shizune and Sakura. She appears young, even though she is over fifty years old, though no one knows how she accomplishes this. She does have a bit of a temper, despite her kindly appearance.**

**I hope you will still read this despite the cliché-ness. Enjoy!**

XX

"No!" Konohamaru yelled as the Pokeball bounced off the Rhyhorn's head. "Why isn't it working?"

"Try it again," Moegi advised as Konohamaru prepared to throw another Pokeball.

"That's not how you do it!" a loud voice boomed.

"Naruto _nii-chan_!" Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon yelled simultaneously. Naruto adjusted the cap on his head and smirked.

"Yo," he greeted with a wave of his hand. He took a Pokeball in his hand and threw it on the ground. "Go Pikachu!" A yellow mouse with pointy ears and a lightning bolt tail stood where the ball had landed. "You have to weaken it first. Pikachu, Quick Attack!" The Pikachu zoomed at the Rhyhorn at an amazing speed, knocking it backwards. Naruto threw a Pokeball at the Rhyhorn, and the Pokémon disappeared into the Pokeball. The Pokeball jerked to the side three times before sitting still. Naruto picked up the Pokeball and began tossing it up and down. "And that's how you do it!"

"Wow!" the three kids squealed. "That was so cool!"

"Yup!" Naruto agreed. "I'm going to be the greatest Pokémon trainer ever! Believe it!"

"Then why don't you go see Tsunade-sama?" Moegi asked.

"That old _baa-chan_ who works at the lab now?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah!" Konohamaru replied. "She's supposed to be an expert on Pokémon!"

"Oh, _that _Tsunade _baa-chan_!" Naruto yelled. "Sakura-chan's mom!"

"Well she's not really her mom," Moegi pointed out.

"I know, I know," Naruto grumbled, waving his hand dismissively. "All right! I'm going to go see Tsunade _baa-chan_!"

* * *

><p>Naruto knocked on the door for the third time and groaned. Just where was Tsunade? Not knowing what else to do, he opened the door, which was unlocked, to his surprise. "Hello?" he called. "Anybody here? <em>Baa-chan<em>? Sakura-chan? Shizune-chan?"

"Chansey!" A round pink Pokémon with an egg in a sack on its stomach smiled up at him.

"Hey Chansey!" Naruto greeted as he rubbed the Pokémon on its head. Chansey closed her eyes and mewed happily.

"Naruto?" Tsunade came stepped into the room. "What are you doing here? Do you need something?"

"I want you to teach me about Pokémon, Tsunade _baa-chan_!"

"Don't call me _baa-chan_!" Tsunade growled. "And no, I don't have time."

"But _baa-chan_!" Naruto whined.

"Don't call me that," Tsunade said again, "and why don't you learn from Sakura first _before_ you come to me? I'm sure she's a qualified teacher."

"But…" Naruto unconsciously backed up.

"Naruto, no!" Tsunade yelled. But it was too late. Naruto had bumped hard into a shelf full of Pokeballs. The Pokeballs fell on the floor, and one by one, Pokémon appeared out of them. Then she exploded. "NARUTO, YOU IDIOT!"

"I didn't mean to…" Naruto mumbled.

"WELL GET THEM BACK!" Tsunade roared. Then, for the next two and a half hours, Naruto chased all the Pokémon he released, down to the tiniest Caterpie. That is, all except one. As he cornered the last Pokémon, a green sort of frog with a large bulb on its back, Tsunade placed all the other Pokeballs back on their shelf. The tiny green Pokémon was shaking as it backed into a corner.

"Aw, you're really scared, aren't you?" Naruto cooed. "I know, Tsunade _baa-chan_ can be really scary sometimes, but she's really a nice person!" Naruto began petting the Pokémon's head with his hand. "Don't worry. I'll make sure she's extra nice to you. Now why don't you go back into your Pokeball?"

"Saur!" The Pokémon shook its head stubbornly.

"Aw, come on!" Naruto urged as he held the Pokeball out towards it. The Pokémon just shook its head again and jumped into Naruto's lap. "Whoa!"

"What's going on?" Tsunade called from the next room. "Where's that Bulbasaur?"

"Bulbasaur?" Naruto repeated. "So that's your name…"

"Saur!" Bulbasaur agreed, grinning at Naruto.

"Eh _baa-chan,_ it doesn't want to go back in its Pokeball," Naruto called. Tsunade entered the room, looking rather disgruntled, but her expression changed to one of shock when she saw the Bulbasaur sitting happily on Naruto's lap.

"Well, I can't say I'm surprised," Tsuande said, shrugging and smirking. "That Bulbasaur's taken a liking to you. It usually just sticks to itself because it's scared of anything and everything." Tsunade walked stood up and walked away. "Take care of that Bulbasaur, you hear?" Naruto then stared confusedly from the Bulbasaur in his lap to Tsunade.

"What?" he gasped. "It's mine? I can keep it?"

"You heard me," Tsunade called once more. Naruto grinned at his Bulbasaur.

"No worries, Saur!" he said cheerfully. "Hmm… Saur… I like that! I'll call you Saur from now on!"

* * *

><p>"Well?" Itachi asked as he stared at Sasuke. "Are you going to take part in the Pokémon League?"<p>

"What do you think?" Sasuke retorted. His Ekans slithered up to him and stared up at him.

"When are you leaving?" Itachi asked.

"Tomorrow," Sasuke replied succinctly.

"Char…" growled an orange lizard near Sasuke with a flame on its tail.

"What about Naruto?"

"He'll find out sooner or later that I'm gone."

"Don't you think you should tell him first?"

"Hn." Itachi smirked.

"Well you should at least tell Sakura. Imagine how upset she'd be to find you gone without any wind of where you're going." Sasuke massaged his temples.

"_Nii-san_…"

XX

**I hope you liked the first chapter despite the cliché-ness. Anyway, here are current Pokémon parties of Naruto, Sasuke and Sakura as of now.**

**Naruto: Bulbasaur (level 5) and Pikachu (level 10)**

**Sasuke: Charmander (level 6) and Ekans (level 12)**

**Sakura: Chansey (level 11)**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	2. vs Dratini

Naruto dropped his bags as he stared out at the city Shinku-shoku, comprised of several tall buildings and a few outdoor markets. "Pika…" Pikachu mumbled in awe as he stared out at the city.

"Wow!" Naruto cheered. "This is so great! It's so much bigger than Konoha!"

"Well of course it is," came a snide comment from behind him. Naruto whirled around only to see his best friend turned rival smirking at him, his Charmander and his Ekans standing on either side of him.

"Sasuke-teme!" Naruto growled. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take part in the gym here," Sasuke replied simply. "What else?" Naruto clenched his fists and glared at Sasuke. "Don't tell me… You didn't know there was a gym here." Naruto's face flushed scarlet as he clenched his fists even tighter. "Isn't that right… Dead Last?"

"THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Naruto yelled.

"Hn," Sasuke snorted. "Well how about this then? A bet. If you don't get the badge by six o'clock this evening… You have to release your Pikachu." Naruto looked genuinely shocked as Sasuke smirked, but then that expression changed to one of determination.

"And if you don't get the badge by then, you have to wear a pink frilly dress and dance while I take a video and send it to Sakura-chan," Naruto threatened. Sasuke froze.

"You wouldn't," he said.

"Just get the badge then," Naruto retorted. Sasuke resorted to glaring at Naruto.

"That's it," he growled before breaking off into a sprint. Naruto soon followed him, hot on his trail.

"Where do you think you're going?" he yelled. Meanwhile, Sasuke kept swerving in towards Naruto, trying to run right in front of him, but Naruto kept running right next to him. Suddenly, Naruto could see Sakura in front of him, her pink hair held back by a red headband that matched her equally red attire, holding a blue turtle-like Pokémon. Sasuke noticed this too, as he tried to stop, but Naruto ran into him, pushing him into Sakura, and the three fell down in a tangle of limbs.

"Ow…" Sakura mumbled. Sasuke was the first to stand as he dusted himself off; he tried to fall in such a way that he wouldn't hurt Sakura in the process.

"Chan!" Sakura's Chansey cried.

"It's ok, Chansey," Sakura assured her. "We're fine."

"Squirtle…" the turtle Pokémon groaned from under Sakura.

"Kame-chan!" Sakura gasped as she sat up immediately. "I'm so sorry!"

"Squirt!" the Squirtle barked confidently. Sakura giggled as she patted her Pokémon on the head.

"Well that's good then," she said pleasantly.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan!" Naruto wailed.

"That's ok, Naruto," Sakura said absentmindedly as she stood up and dusted herself off. "Where were you guys headed off to in such a hurry anyway?"

"The gym here," Sasuke replied.

"Oh," Sakura mumbled. "Did you guys know that it's closed?"

"Closed?" Naruto and Sasuke repeated simultaneously. Sakura nodded.

"Yeah, the Gym Leader's been missing for a while now," Sakura continued. "Sasuke-kun, didn't you know? Your brother's part of the Elite Four, right?"

"Aa," Sasuke replied. Sakura just smiled sympathetically. "So the bet's off then."

"What bet?" Sakura asked automatically.

"Nothing," Sasuke replied shortly before walking away.

"What bet?" Sakura asked again.

"Really, it's nothing, Sakura-chan!" Naruto answered this time. "Just forget about it, ok?"

"Oh wait, since you're here, I might as well give you this right now," Sakura said suddenly. She pulled out a silver device, a small computer-like thing. "It's a Pokedex. It automatically records information on all the Pokémon you've caught."

"Um…" Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled sheepishly.

"You _did_ catch some Pokémon, right?" Sakura asked.

"Well…" Naruto said, twiddling with his thumbs.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled as she bonked him on the head. "You're supposed to be catching Pokémon in your spare time when you're not training to fight Gym Leaders!"

"I didn't know…" Naruto mumbled.

"It's your job to fill up that Pokedex!" Sakura chastised. "I already caught a Rattata! You need to catch Pokémon, Naruto!"

"I know, I know!" Naruto yelled. "Does Sasuke-teme have to do this too?"

"Yeah," Sakura replied. "But he just left… I guess I'll go give this to him."

* * *

><p>Sakura found Sasuke in the Pokémon Center in Shinku-shoku, talking to his brother on one of those video telephones. Sakura sat in the lobby and waited patiently for him to finish. When Sasuke was done, he came and sat down next to Sakura in the lobby. "Hi, Sasuke-kun," Sakura greeted.<p>

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in response, turning his head away, trying to stop the red that was flooding into his ears.

"Tsunade-shishou told me to give you this." Sakura held out a silver computer-like device. "It's a Pokedex. It automatically records data of the Pokémon you've already caught." Sasuke took the Pokedex.

"Thanks," he muttered in response. Nurse Joy walked up to them.

"Here you are, Uchiha-san, your Charmander and Ekans are back to full health," she said pleasantly. "And Haruno-san, your Squirtle and Chansey are back to full health as well."

"Thank you," Sakura said politely.

"Char…" Charmander growled at Squirtle.

"Squirtle!" Squirtle whimpered as it leapt into Sakura's lap. Sakura giggled.

"It's ok, Kame-chan," she coaxed, stroking the Pokémon on the head. "Well, I better be off. Be sure to catch lots of Pokémon, Sasuke-kun, so you can fill up that Pokedex!"

"Aa," Sasuke muttered in response.

"And don't forget to treat your Pokémon with lots of love and care," Sakura reminded him. "I know it sounds kind of weird right now, but trust me when I say it'll make a huge difference in the long run." She summoned Chansey back into her Pokeball and hugged her Squirtle to her chest. "See you later, Sasuke-kun!"

* * *

><p>Naruto strolled around the city, minding his own business, when he heard a loud shriek. On the outskirts of the city, a girl with lavender eyes and short dark hair was being cornered by a wild Dratini. "Help!" the girl cried. Trying to be the hero as usual, Naruto stepped into the battle with his Bulbasaur.<p>

"Don't worry," Naruto comforted the girl. "It's just a wild Pokémon.

"So scary…" the girl whimpered.

"They're really not that scary once you train them," Naruto told her. "Why don't you try catching it… um…"

"H-Hinata," the girl stuttered. "My name is Hinata."

"Well, why don't you try catching it, Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked. "You can use Saur. Don't worry, I'll help you!" Hinata nodded as Naruto handed her his Pokedex. "All his moves are listed here. Just yell out what you want him to do." Hinata gulped.

"B-Bulbasaur, Vine Whip!" Vines shot out of Bulbasaur's bulb and whacked the wild Dratini repeatedly. "N-Now Tackle!" Bulbasaur rammed its body into the Dratini, sending it plummeting to the ground.

"Here," Naruto said as he placed a Pokeball in Hinata's hand, wrapping his hand around hers. "Now throw the Pokeball like this." He moved Hinata's arm backwards and then threw the Pokeball. Dratini disappeared into the Pokeball, and the ball shuddered a few times before sitting still. Naruto picked up the Pokeball and threw it on the ground. Dratini stood in its place, smiling at Hinata. "Aw, see? It only wanted to play with you! Still scary?" Hinata smiled and shook her head as she began to pet Dratini's head.

"N-No…" she mumbled. "Not scary at all." Naruto whipped out his Pokedex and saw Dratini's information recorded on the screen.

"Wow, cool!" Naruto yelled. "It already got recorded!"

"Wh-What's your name?" Hinata stuttered.

"I'm Naruto, and I'm going to be the greatest Pokémon trainer ever!" Naruto announced loudly. "Believe it!" And with that, he left, leaving Hinata behind, smiling.

XX

**So here are the current Pokémon teams of the main characters:**

**Naruto – Saur (level 8 Bulbasaur) and Pika (level 12 Pikachu)**

**Sasuke – Ekans (level 13) and Charmander (level 10)**

**Sakura – Kame-chan (level 7 Squirtle) and Chansey (level 16)**

**And yes, Naruto gave the Dratini to Hinata.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. vs Machop

Somewhere on the path between Shinku-Shoku and Midori, Naruto ran into a Pokémon salesman. "Step right up!" the salesman called. "I'll sell you a super rare Pokémon for only five hundred dollars! Step right up!" Naruto immediately reached for his wallet. Five hundred and one dollars… just enough to buy the super rare Pokémon.

"Oy mister!" Naruto yelled. "I'll take it!" And with that, Naruto thrust the money in the salesman's hand and the salesman handed him a Pokeball.

"Take good care of that Magikarp, you hear?" the salesman called as Naruto broke into a run.

* * *

><p>"NO, DAMN IT, I SAID TACKLE!" Naruto yelled at the Magikarp that just refused to listen to him. He sighed and plopped down on the clearing of grass he'd entered to level up his Pokémon. He wiped the sweat off his brow and lay back with his arms stretched outward. His Magikarp hopped over to him and nudged his face with his nose.<p>

"Karp?" the Magikarp said. Naruto swung his hand to swat it away, but the Magikarp jumped away just in time. He rolled over onto his side and stared at the fish Pokémon with pleading eyes.

"Why can't you learn any other water moves, huh?" Naruto questioned. "Like Water Gun, or Surf, or—"

"Trouble in paradise?" a new voice asked mockingly. Naruto sprang up and pointed his finger accusingly at Sasuke.

"YOU!" he yelled. "What are you doing here?"

"Training," Sasuke replied nonchalantly, shrugging. "Nice Pokémon." Naruto glowered at Sasuke and crossed his arms.

"I'll have you know I paid a lot of money for this Pokémon!" he announced loudly. "Just let me train him and he'll be amazing!" Sasuke smirked.

"Well it looks like you were cheated out of your money," he taunted. "Didn't you know that Magikarp is known as the most useless Pokémon in the world?" Naruto clenched his fists as he gritted his teeth together. Sasuke turned to walk away.

"Just you wait, Sasuke-teme!" Naruto yelled. "My Magikarp will grow to be the most amazing Pokémon ever! Believe it!" Sasuke just waved his hand dismissively.

* * *

><p>Naruto sat in the lobby of the Pokémon Center, staring dejectedly at the Pokeball containing his Magikarp. Suddenly, Sakura walked over and sat down next to him. "Hi Naruto," she greeted pleasantly.<p>

"Hi…" Naruto mumbled back. Sakura tilted her head to the side and frowned.

"What's wrong?" she asked concernedly. "Are you ok?" Naruto gave a heavy sigh.

"This guy sold me this Pokémon that was supposed to be super rare," he explained. Sakura raised her eyebrows.

"And?" she prompted.

"And…" Naruto repeated. "It was a Magikarp." The corners of Sakura's mouth twitched upwards and she covered her mouth as if trying not to laugh.

"Naruto…" she choked out. "That's actually quite common. Some people just try to make money off poor schmucks. How much did you pay for it?"

"Five hundred dollars," Naruto said flatly. All emotion left Sakura's face. Then…

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?" she screamed, shaking her fist at him. Several innocent bystanders turned to stare.

"I know!" Naruto yelled. "I'm an idiot!" Seeing his depressed expression, Sakura pat him gently on the back.

"Hey, it's not all bad," she said consolingly. A wide grin broke across her face. "Hey, I'll let you in on a little secret. Not even Sasuke-kun knows this." This caught Naruto's attention as he scooted closer towards Sakura. She leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Magikarp evolves into Gyrados." She stood up slowly. "Are you going to take part in the Gym challenge?"

"Is Sasuke-teme going to?" Naruto asked automatically. Sakura crossed her arms and frowned.

"Why does everything you do have to be a competition with Sasuke-kun?" she asked rhetorically.

"Eh, who needs him?" Naruto scoffed. "I'll get that Boulder Badge before him! Believe it!"

* * *

><p>"YOSH!" the Midori Gym Leader, Maito Gai yelled as his Hitmonlee defeated yet another challenger. "You lack youth! Embrace the power of youth!" Needless to say, Naruto was rather weirded out by the eccentric Gym Leader. Gai wore a green spandex suit and his sleek black hair in a bowl cut. He struck a pose and flashed a smile with his brilliant white teeth. "This is my 'Nice Guy' pose," he explained. "YOSH! Who's the next challenger?"<p>

"I'll go," said a voice from behind Naruto. Sasuke stepped out into the clearing with his hand clasped tightly around a Pokeball.

"WHAT?" Naruto yelled. "No way! I got here first!"

"I said I'd go first, first, loser," Sasuke retorted.

"YOSH!" Gai yelled. "Two youthful challengers!" He sprung down and scrutinized both Naruto and Sasuke. "YOU!" Naruto looked honored to be addressed first. "Are you not the younger brother of one of my eternal rivals, Uchiha Itachi?" Naruto slumped over. _Well of course he was talking to Sasuke_, he thought bitterly.

"I am," Sasuke replied. Gai's eyes narrowed.

"He lacks youth," he said with much seriousness. He knelt down and eyed Sasuke from head to toe. "And, by the looks of it… _you lack youth too_." Naruto sniggered. "YOU!" Gai yelled as Naruto jumped in surprise. "You are much more youthful! Come! Battle with me!" Gai led Naruto up to the arena, and Naruto turned around to stick his tongue out at a glowering Sasuke. "YOSH! Let us begin the battle!" Gai threw a Pokeball on the ground. "Go Machop!" Naruto smirked and threw his Pokeball on the ground.

"Go Saur!" he yelled. Bulbasaur stood up proudly.

"Saur!" he barked as he glared at his much larger foe.

"Start with a youthful Karate Chop!" Gai yelled.

"Dodge it, Saur!" Naruto yelled in retaliation. The blue Pokémon swung at Bulbasaur, and the grass Pokémon dodged cleanly. "Come back with Leach Seed!" Several seeds shot out of Bulbasaur's back and lodged themselves in Machop's body. "Now Vine Whip!"

"Low Kick!" Gai yelled. Machop kicked Bulbasaur, sending the tiny Pokémon flying a few feet.

"No!" Naruto yelled. "Saur!" Fortunately, Bulbasaur did a little flip and stood confidently on his feet. "Razor Leaf, now!"

"Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur cried out as several leaves shot out of the bulb on his back. The leaves honed in on Machop, hitting the blue Pokémon square in the chest. Machop was sent flying backwards, and he didn't get up again.

"All right!" Naruto cheered. Suddenly, Bulbasaur's nose twitched as a confused expression crossed his face. "Saur? Are you ok?" Suddenly, a white light enveloped the Pokémon. Once the light cleared, Naruto could finally see a different Pokémon. The bulb on Saur's back was gone; instead, there was a pink flower and four leaves.

"Ivysaur!" the Pokémon cried out. Naruto bent down on his knees to hug his newly evolved Pokémon.

"All right!" he yelled. "You evolved! That's so great, Saur!" Gai cleared his throat loudly.

"YOSH!" he yelled. "WHAT A YOUTHFUL DISPLAY OF SKILLS! Uzumaki Naruto, I present to you…" He twirled around and flashed a grey octagonal badge. "The Boulder Badge!" Naruto gratefully took the badge.

"Thank you!" Naruto yelled as he ran out of the arena, taking care to flash the Boulder Badge and stick his tongue out at Sasuke on the way out.

XX

**Once again, current teams:**

**Naruto: Saur (level 16 Ivysaur), Pika (level 15 Pikachu), Magikarp (level 14)**

**Sasuke: Charmeleon (level 17), Ekans (level 18)**

**Sakura: Kame-chan (level 10 Squirtle), Chansey (level 20)**

**I hope the Pokémon levels aren't too far off from the Gym Leaders themselves. I know for sure that Brock's Onix in the first gym is level 14. And if you level grind your Pokémon to the extreme (like what Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke are doing), then it's natural for their levels to be a little elevated? Let me know!**

**Also, please, PLEASE, don't just subscribe or fav. Review too! This story thrives on reviews, and I'll need as many as I can get! So PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. vs Vulpix

Something was amiss. Naruto was sure of it. He wasn't sure what exactly it was that gave him this inkling. Maybe it was the hoards of men and women donned in black uniforms with strange red cloud patterns, or maybe it was the fact that no normal trainer seemed to be passing through Mount Moon. But why were those cloud-cloaked people here? Naruto was determined to find out. He marched boldly up to the entrance of the mountain pass, only to be shoved aside by one of the men in black and red cloaks. "Hey!" Naruto yelled indignantly. "What's the big idea?"

"Authorized personnel only, twerp," the man who shoved him sneered.

"This is the only way to Kuro!" Naruto protested. "I have to get through here!" The man scoffed.

"Tough break, twerp," he shot back. The man turned on his heel and stalked away, while Naruto stayed back, clenching his fists and gritting his teeth together.

"I'll show you!" Naruto growled.

* * *

><p>"Wait, Sasuke, what exactly is going on at the mountain pass?" Itachi asked via video telephone.<p>

"I don't know," Sasuke replied for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day. "There's all these people in black cloaks there. They're not letting anyone through."

"Just black cloaks?" Itachi interjected. "Was there anything on those black cloaks?" Sasuke shrugged.

"They just had a bunch of red clouds on them," Sasuke said nonchalantly. Itachi's face turned hard and expressionless.

"Akatsuki," he said coldly.

"Who?" Sasuke asked.

"Not _who_," Itachi objected. "_What_. Akatsuki is an evil crime syndicate active all over the world. All they care about is world domination, and they will pay through the nose to get it."

"But why are they closing off the mountain pass?" Sasuke asked. "I need to get to Kuro."

"Do you know what the mountain is called, Sasuke?" Itachi questioned.

"_Tsuki no Yama_," Sasuke replied flatly. "Moon Mountain. Why?"

"It's believed that moon stones fell on the mountain centuries ago, hence the name," Itachi stated.

"What's so special about these moon stones?" Sasuke asked.

"They're supposed to contain power," Itachi said. "Lots of it. Apparently, they also help some Pokémon evolve." Realization dawned on Sasuke's face.

"So Akatsuki's taken over _Tsuki no Yama_ because they want to exploit the moon stones there…" he mused.

"Exactly," Itachi said. "Unfortunately, the only way to Kuro is through the mountain pass, unless you have bird Pokémon that can fly you over there. So how do you suppose you get there?"

* * *

><p>Naruto pressed himself against the wall as he waited for the assembly line of black-cloaked security guards to pass. Nevertheless, sneaking around the mountain pass was growing more and more difficult with the ever increasing number of patrolling men and women in black and red cloaks. Naruto decided it was time to bring in the big dogs. When he was sure no one else was watching, he pounced on a black-cloaked man and had Pika zap him into oblivion. He then stole his cloak and wrapped it tightly around himself. From then on, it was almost a free passage through <em>Tsuki no Yama<em>. The first roadblock he hit was when a random woman decided to interrogate him. "Hey…" she said. "Aren't you a bit young to be a part of Akatsuki?" _Akatsuki?_ Naruto questioned silently.

"Uh…" Naruto mumbled. "I… uh… I'm new!"

"Oh really?" The woman didn't sound too convinced. "Well let's see how you are in battle then." She released a Vulpix from a Pokeball, and Naruto retaliated with Magikarp. The woman smirked. "Really? That's the best you can do? Vulpix, use Ember!" Naruto smirked evilly.

"Magikarp, Splash!" he commanded. The Magikarp began hopping up and down on the ground, letting out a "karp" with every jump. "Now hop onto Vulpix's head!" Magikarp jumped over and leapt onto Vulpix's head.

"Pix!" Vulpix cried out as it tried (and failed) to avoid Magikarp's Splash.

"Splash higher, Magikarp!" Naruto yelled.

"Karp!" Magikarp replied as it jumped higher and higher, hitting Vulpix's head harder and harder. The poor woman could only stare in shock as her Vulpix collapsed after about seven effective Splashes.

"Well," she said shakily. "That was certainly an… unusual way to win a battle."

"I like to call it taking my Pokémon's favorite move and exploiting it," Naruto said cheerfully. To his surprise, the woman smiled warmly.

"Welcome aboard," she said before walking away. "Now get back to work." Naruto couldn't help but give a tremendous sigh of relief once she was gone.

* * *

><p>Sneaking through the mountain pass was much more difficult for Sasuke than it was for Naruto. More was at stake with him; his family was well-known. People would notice the resemblance between him and his brother, and if not that, then the resemblance between him and his mother, who also happened to be Itachi's mother, and then they would connect the dots. Regardless, Sasuke didn't want to be seen by anyone, good or bad. Things did not work out so well in his favor, however, as he soon ran into a group of five or six men in black and red cloaks. "Hey!" one of them shouted. "What are you doing here? Authorized personnel only, kid!"<p>

"Wait a minute," another man interrupted before proceeding to scrutinize Sasuke's face. "He looks like an Uchiha."

"Uchiha?" a third man asked.

"Don't you know anything?" a fourth, large man retorted. "Uchiha. As in Uchiha _Itachi_."

"The Elite Four guy, right?" a fifth person asked.

"Oh I know him," the third man said. "The guy kicked my ass back in the day. Hurt like hell." Sasuke's eye twitched; he didn't even want to know the scope of this man's relationship with this brother.

"We could hold him for ransom," the second man suggested. "Them Uchiha are loaded."

"They'll be willing to pay a large sum of money for this brat," the first man observed. "Ok then, boys. Fire away." Before Sasuke even had a chance to react, something hard collided painfully with the back of his head, and he crumpled to the ground in a heap.

* * *

><p>Sakura strolled peacefully through <em>Tsuki no Yama<em>, having encountered relatively few problems in her journey. In fact, where she was, it was so quiet, she didn't even know that anything was wrong. Still, to be safe, she kept her Chansey outside. Soon enough, she found a man and a woman walking together, both donned in black and red cloaks. Sakura hid behind a large rock, hoping they wouldn't see her. "Did you hear?" the woman asked. "Some of our colleagues have captured an Uchiha." Sakura's blood ran cold.

"I heard," the man responded. "They're going to hold him for ransom." _Ransom?_ Sakura questioned silently, clenching her fists. "Where did they say they were keeping the kid?"

"Somewhere near the exit," the woman replied. "They're going to hand him over to Tobi-sama." Sakura didn't hear the rest of their conversation; she was already sprinting towards the exit.

* * *

><p>Fortunately, aside from a few curious glances, Naruto was progressing through the mountain pass with relatively few problems. That was all soon to change, however, as he ran straight into a woman. The woman was several inches taller than him, with curly black hair and red, red eyes. She jumped back after taking one glance at him. "Haunter, go!" she yelled as she released a Pokémon from a Pokeball. "Leave <em>Tsuki no Yama<em> alone!" she yelled. Naruto tilted his head to the side in confusion. Then he stared down at himself; he was still wearing the black cloak with red clouds.

"W-Wait!" Naruto yelled, holding his hands out in front of him. "You've got it all wrong!"

"Confusion!" the woman yelled. Suddenly, Naruto grew so dizzy, he fell over backwards. He groaned as he tried to break free of the Haunter's Confusion. "Tell me what you're planning to do to the mountain and I might just let you go," the woman said coldly as Haunter's Confusion relaxed.

"Lady, you've got it all wrong!" Naruto protested. "I'm not a part of this Akatsuki thing! I needed to get through the mountain pass to get to Kuro, so I stole one of these cloak things so they'd just leave me alone! I don't even know what these guys are up to! Honest!" The woman cocked an eyebrow before recalling Haunter back into its Pokeball.

"Well you do look a little young to be a part of Akatsuki," she acknowledged grudgingly.

"Thank you!" Naruto sighed in relief as he threw his arms around the woman, hugging her tightly. Her eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Release me," she ordered. "Now." Realizing his mistake, Naruto jumped back and scratched the back of his head, laughing nervously.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I'm just glad that you're not going to kill me!" The woman smirked.

"Don't get your hopes up," she warned. "You're not out of the woods yet, and you won't be until you prove to me that you're not a part of Akatsuki."

"Prove it?" Naruto repeated. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"Figure it out for yourself," the woman said flatly before walking away. A black wallet fell to the ground, and she continued walking, not realizing she had dropped it. Naruto picked up the wallet and opened it. Inside was a photo ID. "Yuuhi Kurenai," it read.

"Kurenai…" Naruto mumbled to himself. He shut the wallet and took after the woman. "Wait! Miss, you dropped your wallet! Wait!"

* * *

><p>The first thing Sasuke noticed when he came to was his discomfort. He was completely bound and gagged, completely unable to move. "Mmf," he grunted as he struggled against the rope binding him.<p>

"Well, well, well," a voice sneered. Sasuke noticed that it was one of the men in black cloaks he ran into earlier. "It looks like Pretty Boy Uchiha's up."

"Mmf mmf _mmf_, mmf mmf mmf mmf mmf mmf!" Sasuke yelled unintelligibly. He meant something along the lines of: _Let me _go_, you finless Magikarp!_

"Now, don't be so mad," the man said condescendingly, patting Sasuke on the head. "I'm sure your big brother will pay a nice bit of moolah for you."

"Mmf…" Sasuke grunted.

"All right," a new, familiar voice said exasperatedly. Sasuke's eyes shot upward to a dark silhouette in the distance. "Let him go _now_."

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" the man in Akatsuki sneered. As the silhouette stepped forward, Sasuke could see Sakura stalking over with her arms crossed and her eyebrows furrowed into a glare. There was a slight twinge of pink on her cheeks and her fists were clenched. She looked absolutely furious.

"I said, let him go," Sakura said firmly.

"Oh yeah?" the man countered. He drew close to Sakura, so close that his nose was almost touching hers. "You're gonna do something about it, Pinkie?" His breath reeked of alcohol. The man whirled around and threw a Pokeball on the ground. An Electrabuzz appeared where it landed. "Ever seen one of these before, Uchiha? This is an Electrabuzz. Now why don't we battle?" His smirk widened. "Oh that's right, you can't." Unable to do anything else, Sasuke settled for glaring at his kidnapper. If looks could kill, the man would be dead a hundred times over.

"He can't," Sakura acknowledged, "but I can."

"Oh yeah?" the man countered. Sakura glared at him and threw a Pokeball on the ground. Sasuke stared at her incredulously; Chansey didn't know any moves that could easily defeat Electrabuzz, and Squirtle was at a type disadvantage. So what was she going to do? As the light from the Pokeball cleared, Sasuke saw what Pokémon she released, and his blood ran cold.

"Onix," Sakura whispered. The monumental rock Pokémon towered over the Electrabuzz and glared at it fiercely. Sasuke broke out into a cold sweat. When did she catch one of _those_? "Rockslide." Right on cue, several large rocks began tumbling down on Electrabuzz's head. The Pokémon was down within seconds. Just as the battle ended, Sakura summoned Onix back into his Pokeball. Her face was black and expressionless; her unnatural calmness scared Sasuke. "Now release him."

"Never," the man hissed back. Sakura's eyes narrowed.

"I won't let anyone harm my friends," she vowed before punching the man square in the jaw, sending him flying back into a wall. The man hit his head hard against the wall and crumpled onto the ground. Sakura seized the opportunity to grab Sasuke and run.

XX

**Yes, Naruto defeated a Pokémon trainer with nothing but his Magikarp's Splash. He's just that freaking awesome. Granted, said trainer only had one Pokémon already at a type disadvantage. Yes, Sakura captured an Onix and pulled a one-hit-wonder and saved Sasuke. Yes I know Sasuke's a wuss in this chapter. He'll man up soon enough. Now onto Pokémon teams:**

**Naruto: Saur (level 18 Ivysaur), Pika (level 17 Pikachu), Magikarp (level 19) – as of now, I'd say Naruto's focusing on Magikarp so he can get him to evolve into a Gyrados, which is why Magikarp is at a higher level than Saur and Pika.**

**Sasuke: Charmeleon (level 19) and Ekans (level 18) – he's a wuss in this chapter and he'll man up by the next.**

**Sakura: Chansey (level 21), Kame-chan (level 12 Squirtle), Onix (level 15) – if Sakura's a little godly, it's because she focuses more on capturing Pokémon to complete the Pokedex. Therefore, she doesn't train **_**every **_**Pokémon she catches; she's caught a lot more than just these three. Think of her as Crystal from the manga, only with fewer, less powerful **Pokémon **on hand. Also, she's not participating in the Gym challenge. At all. She's just there to morally support Naruto and Sasuke and to catch Pokémon to complete the Pokedex and help Tsunade in her research.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	5. vs Gastly

Sakura continued running without looking back once, her hands still tightly clasped around Sasuke's bound body. Once she was sure _Tsuki no Yama_ and Akatsuki were out of sight, she dropped everything and collapsed onto the grass, panting. "Mmf…" Sasuke groaned. Sakura gasped and shot up.

"Aah, I'm so sorry!" she wailed. "I forgot to untie you! I'm sorry!" And with that, she flitted to his side and yanked the cloth gagging him before fumbling with the rope wrapped tightly around him. Her hands were shaking, and every so often, she'd drop the piece of rope she was trying to untie, cursing as she did so.

"Something wrong?" Sasuke couldn't help but ask. Sakura stared straight at him with wide, green eyes.

"I've never done something like that before," she admitted. "I really don't care about battling. All I want to do is capture every single Pokémon and complete the Pokedex for Tsunade-sama. I… I never thought I'd have to…" She trailed off as she succeeded in untying the knot on the rope binding Sasuke. The rope fell limply to the ground, and Sasuke flexed his arms and legs. Without warning, he grabbed Sakura's hand and began pulling her behind him. "Where are we going?" she asked.

"The Pokémon Center," Sasuke replied shortly. "Your Pokémon probably got hurt back there."

* * *

><p>Naruto groaned in exasperation as he collapsed into the grass. No matter where he looked, he just couldn't find Yuuhi Kurenai. He tried asking people, but they either gave him weird, pointed stares or just flat out laughed before refusing to answer his question. He just didn't know what to do. He let his Pokémon out of their Pokeballs and showed them the photo ID in the wallet Kurenai dropped. "Ok, you guys," he addressed. "We're going to look for this person here." He pointed to the picture of Kurenai's face. "I don't know where we can find her, though. No one's telling me anything." Naruto gave a heavy sigh.<p>

"Pika," Pika said as he pointed to the photo ID.

"I know, Pika," Naruto said absentmindedly. "We have to look for her."

"Pika _chu_," Pika emphasized, pointing to the photo ID again. Naruto frowned in confusion as he took a closer look at the photo ID. "Yuuhi Kurenai," it read. Then right below that…

"No way!" Naruto yelled, jumping up. "She's the _Gym leader_ here?"

"Pikachu…" Pika groaned as he slapped his forehead.

"Well that makes it a lot easier to find her," Naruto commented before summoning all Pokémon except Pika into their Pokeballs. "Let's go!" And with that, he rushed to the Gym in Kuro, violently shoving open the door. The Gym was dark, lit only by a flickering light on the ceiling. "Is Kurenai-san here?" Naruto yelled. "I need to see her right away!" Instead of Kurenai, a boy around his age walked forward. He wore a grey jacket with a hood lined with fur, and a Growlithe followed him.

"You're here to challenge Kurenai-sensei?" the boy asked.

"N-No," Naruto stuttered. "At least… not _yet_… I just wanted to—"

"Well, if you're going to challenge Kurenai-sensei, then let me see if you're ready first!" the boy announced.

"No!" Naruto yelled. "I'm here to—"

"Akamaru, Flamethrower!" The Growlithe, presumably Akamaru shot a stream of flames from his mouth heading straight towards Pika. Pika dodged cleanly, and Naruto groaned and slapped his forehead as he sent out his Magikarp.

* * *

><p>Sakura picked at her food as she sat across from Sasuke at the dinner table. The two had been friends for years, and she knew for a fact that he didn't consider her a fangirl, but she still felt nervous and jittery around him. This time, she didn't have the comfort of her Chansey, the protection of her Onix or the moral support of her Squirtle; they were all still being healed by Nurse Joy. So what was she supposed to do? Having her Pokémon with her gave her confidence, but now that they were away, she was only a blushing, stuttering idiot. Sasuke's impression of her would surely change. What was she supposed to do?<p>

Neither one of them had said a word since they escaped _Tsuki no Yama_. At first, Sakura was grateful for the silence, but now the silence was growing awkward. "So…" she began awkwardly. "Why did those guys kidnap you back there?" Sasuke let out a small sigh.

"They were trying to hold me for ransom," he explained. "They thought they could get my brother to pay for my release or something." Sakura gave a wry smile.

"I guess the name recognition isn't always a good thing," she commented.

"Try _face_ recognition," Sasuke retorted. "Those bastards could tell I was an Uchiha just by looking at me."

"So what happened?" Sakura asked curiously.

"They saw me, knocked me out and tied me up," Sasuke said while shrugging. "That's it."

"Oh…" Sakura mumbled. An awkward silence fell among them once more. This time, Sasuke was the one to break it.

"What is Akatsuki up to?" he asked rhetorically. "What did they want with _Tsuki no Yama_?"

"There's fossils and moon stones there," Sakura replied.

"What?" Sasuke asked.

"Fossilized remains of Pokémon from centuries ago and moon stones," Sakura replied. "Those Pokémon fossils can be turned into actual Pokémon in the lab in Ao City. They have this weird machine there where they can do that. And moon stones make certain Pokémon evolve. Like… It makes Jigglypuff evolve into Wigglytuff and Clefairy into Clefable."

"So that's why…" Sasuke mused. "I thought they were just after world domination."

"They are," Sakura clarified, "but they need Pokémon to achieve that. So they're trying to make their Pokémon as strong as possible, via moon stones and Pokémon fossil resurrection."

"Oh," Sasuke said simply before lapsing into silence once more. Refusing to let another awkward silence overtake them, Sakura spoke up.

"Have you…" she mumbled. "Have you ever heard of the Eevee scandal?"

"The what?" Sasuke retorted. Sakura couldn't help but smirk.

"Wow, for someone related to someone in the _Shitennou_, you sure are clueless," she said sarcastically. Sasuke's eyes narrowed into slits.

"Shut up and tell me," he ordered. Sakura gulped and nodded.

"Y-Yeah…" she stuttered. "Anyway, a few years ago, Akatsuki stole an Eevee from a little girl and started operating on it. They did that with a lot of Pokémon, actually… still do. Anyway, you know how Eevee can evolve into three different types of Pokémon? Well, Akatsuki found a way for Eevee to…" She paused, as if trying to coherently translate her thoughts into words. "They found a way for Eevee to switch freely between its evolved forms. I mean… not permanently. It's like…"

"Like it was constantly being forced to evolve, only it de-evolved so that it could switch into another form," Sasuke guessed.

"Exactly," Sakura replied. "For a while, Eevee was like Akatsuki's greatest weapon, but then constantly switching between evolved forms took a toll on Eevee's body, and it began losing battles consistently. That just made Akatsuki abuse it more. And then, one day when it was near death, it disappeared."

"Is it still alive?" Sasuke asked, leaning forward.

"Probably not," Sakura replied, shrugging. "I mean, Eevee was pretty close to death back then. Unless it somehow got a hold of a potion or something so that it could heal, but that's highly unlikely."

"So why is this such a big scandal?" Sasuke asked.

"One," Sakura said, holding up a finger, "because Akatsuki got a hold of the Eevee by stealing it from a little girl. Two, because Akatsuki almost killed it by forcing it to switch between evolved forms."

"So how do you know about it then?"

"Tsunade-sama was directly involved in it. She was asked to study how Akatsuki managed to get Eevee to evolve so many times and then to de-evolve back into its original form. First of all, Eevee would have needed dozens of water stones, fire stones and thunder stones to evolve so many times, and whenever Akatsuki used Eevee to battle, they would never use those stones on it, at least not while their opponents were watching. _And_, it's virtually impossible to de-evolve a Pokémon. It just can't be done, meaning that Akatsuki somehow messed with Eevee's DNA in order to get it to switch freely between forms."

"So how did they do it?" Sakura shrugged.

"I don't know. Tsunade-sama wouldn't tell me." Sasuke fell back in his seat and sighed.

"So what are we supposed to do about Akatsuki?" Sakura blushed slightly when he used the term "we".

"Why don't we just wait it out?" Sakura suggested. "I mean, they haven't really done anything really scandalous in a while, so—"

"So we wait until they commit some serious crime and then we attack them," Sasuke finished.

"Uh…" Sakura mumbled. "Maybe we should get someone like your brother to face them… I mean, we're just rookies, and…" She trailed off, unable to keep up with her racing thoughts.

"The fact that they completely closed off the mountain pass says enough," Sasuke said flatly, standing up. "Now I'm going to challenge the Gym leader here. Coming?"

"M-Me?" Sakura stuttered. Sasuke's eyes narrowed slightly, and Sakura blushed as she realized her mistake. She quickly retrieved her Pokémon and followed him out of the Pokémon Center.

* * *

><p>Kiba stared at Naruto with his jaw hanging open. "Y-You…" he stuttered. "You defeated me with nothing but Magikarp's Splash…" Naruto frowned.<p>

"Yeah, now can I see Kurenai-san right now?" Naruto asked impatiently.

"I'm right here." Out of the shadows stepped Kurenai, her face cold and expressionless. She smirked as she set her eyes on Naruto. "I remember you. You're that kid from _Tsuki no Yama_. The one who stole one of Akatsuki's robes to get through the mountain pass."

"Y-Yeah," Naruto stuttered. "Listen, lady. You—"

"If it's a battle you wanted, then why didn't you ask in the first place?" Kurenai drawled out. She threw a Pokeball on the ground, and a Gastly appeared. Naruto groaned in frustration.

"You've got to be kidding me," he grumbled. "All right, Magikarp, you know the drill." But Magikarp stayed where he was. "Come on, Magikarp!" Naruto pleaded. "Please? Just _one_ more battle! I promise, we'll go to the Pokémon Center right after this. And then we can get food and eat lots and lots of berries! But please, _please_ just hold it out for one more battle!" Magikarp's nose twitched. "Magikarp?"

"Well, if you won't start the battle…" Kurenai drawled out. "I will." She thrust her arm outwards. "Gastly, Night Shade!"

"No!" Naruto yelled as he quickly slid in front of his immobile Pokémon. Suddenly, he was plunged into darkness. Out in the distance, he could see Sakura, Sasuke, Tsunade and his parents, all smiling at him. Then, out of nowhere, a man wearing a black cloak with red clouds and an orange, swirly mask appeared behind them, creeping up and revealing himself ominously, and proceeded to slash at them with a sword. Naruto let out a scream as blood flowed everywhere. Sakura was the first to fall. She crumpled down, and Sasuke fell just as he caught hold of her. Then, his parents fell, locked in a tight embrace. "NO!" Naruto screamed. He tried to run. He wanted to help them. He had to make sure they were ok. But he couldn't move. He couldn't move at all, and, as he watched his friends and family slowly die in front of his eyes, he was forced to accept that they were gone. "No…" Suddenly, the darkness disappeared, and he was shaken back into reality. He was shaking all over, and he was finding it harder and harder to convince himself that it had all been an illusion. Then he saw it. A large, blue dragon-like Pokémon loomed before him, glaring at the same Gastly from before.

"Grr…" the dragon growled as the Gastly stuck his tongue out tauntingly.

"Huh?" Naruto said weakly. His eyes drifted over to his opponent; Kurenai looked shocked and determined at the same time. It was only now that Naruto realized that the Pokedex in his pocket was shuddering violently. He pulled it out slowly and held it with shaking hands, struggling to read the screen. "Congratulations," it read. "Your Magikarp has evolved into a Gyrados!" Naruto couldn't believe it, not even as the words resonated through his mind. "Your Magikarp has evolved into a Gyrados!"

"Grr…" Gyrados growled again as he ferociously bit the Gastly. Gastly's eyes glazed over slightly as he fell, and Kurenai summoned him back into the Pokeball. She smirked lightly.

"In case you wanted to know, your Magikarp evolved shortly after you decided to take the hit meant for him," she pointed out. "That was very reckless of you, but it shows that you care deeply for your Pokémon." She tossed a Pokeball on the ground and a Haunter popped out. "But it'll take a lot more than raw courage to defeat me." Before Naruto could even issue a command, water shot out of Gyrados' mouth, pummeling Haunter. Once the flow of water stopped, Haunter lay on the floor, completely soaked through. To Naruto's surprise, Kurenai smiled warmly as she summoned back her Haunter. "Congratulations," she said. "I'm proud to present to you the Cascade Badge." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a badge shaped like a tear drop.

"Thanks!" Naruto said cheerfully. "But just for the record, I didn't come here for a battle." Kurenai cocked one eyebrow.

"Did you now?" she asked. Naruto shook his head.

"No," he answered firmly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out her wallet. "You dropped your wallet back in _Tsuki no Yama_. I just wanted to return it." Kurenai's smile grew wider.

"Then you pass," she said. Naruto jumped back in surprise.

"I… pass?" he repeated. "Pass what?"

"My test," Kurenai explained as she took the wallet from Naruto's hand. "This isn't really my wallet, you know. This is a fake I made to test character. I dropped it on purpose back at _Tsuki no Yama_ to see what you would do with it. And, by what I hear from Kiba, you went through great lengths just to return it to me. Why?" Naruto shrugged.

"It was the right thing to do," he said. "I mean… I wasn't going to just _take_ it."

"Then what would you have done had I not given you a picture of myself?" Kurenai asked.

"I would have turned it into the police or the Pokémon Center," Naruto said uncertainly. "I think. If that's where you take lost stuff." Kurenai smiled again.

"Well, congratulations," she said. "I can tell you care very deeply for your Pokémon, considering you were willing to take Gastly's Night Shade head on to protect your Pokémon. And, the fact you're your Gyrados battled on its own accord, shortly after evolving, proves it."

"Wait, what do you mean?" Naruto asked confusedly. "If your Pokémon just battles on its own, doesn't that mean you don't have any control over it?"

"You might not have noticed this, but your Gyrados fought to protect you," Kurenai pointed out. "It saw how far you were willing to go for it, and it decided to return the favor." Kurenai gave a small smile. "You know, normally people release their Magikarp when they catch them. You'd have to be the first person I've met who stuck with his Magikarp, willing to put up with its pathetically weak moves, and helped it evolve into a stronger form. I'm proud of you." Naruto scratched the back of his head and grinned.

"Aw, thanks!" he said. Kurenai let out a light chuckle.

"Now, if you don't mind, it appears I have some more challengers." She gestured towards Naruto, and Naruto turned his head backwards. Behind him were Sasuke and Sakura. Sasuke wore an overconfident smirk plastered on his face, and Sakura just waved good-naturedly. "So, which one of you will be going first?"

"I'll go," Sasuke volunteered.

"Very well," Kurenai said as she threw a Pokeball on the ground. Another Gastly appeared, smirking at Sasuke tauntingly. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed as he himself threw a Pokeball on the ground, revealing his Ekans. His eyes narrowed a fraction, and Ekans proceeded to bite the Gastly viciously. Kurenai gave a heavy sigh. "Why do you kids have to keep biting my Gastly?" she said airily as she withdrew her Pokémon. Sasuke smirked as she pulled out another Pokeball. His cocky expression instantly turned to one of shock when an Arbok appeared. Sasuke quickly withdrew his Ekans, throwing a cursory glance back at Sakura as he did so. The next Pokémon out was Charmeleon, growling at the Arbok before him.

"Ember," Sasuke said flatly. A small stream of flames erupted from Charmeleon's mouth and impaled Kurenai's Arbok. Arbok wavered for a few seconds before regaining its balance. A small smirk twisted up Kurenai's lips.

"Glare," she whispered. And with that, Arbok's yellow eyes narrowed into a fierce glare. A shocked expression crossed Charmeleon's face as he froze.

"Earthquake," Sasuke said through gritted teeth. "Now, Charmeleon." But Charmeleon didn't move. Sasuke grit his teeth even harder. "Come on," he growled. "Snap out of it!" Charmeleon squeezed his eyes shut and struggled to bring his arms toward his body. He took a few slow and shaky steps towards the Arbok and then, with much difficulty, he stomped on the ground with one foot. The ground gave a violent shudder. A deep crevice appeared in the ground, right under Arbok, causing the snake Pokémon to lose its footing. Arbok teetered, but maintained its ground. "Finish it with Flamethrower," Sasuke commanded. Charmeleon failed to move. "Charmeleon." Sasuke's eyes narrowed sternly, and Charmeleon shakily opened his mouth. A large stream of flames erupted from his mouth and shot straight into Arbok, effectively knocking out the snake once and for all. Sasuke stepped forward and looked to Kurenai, and saw that her expression was hard.

"Well," she said stiffly. "You win the battle, though I have my doubts about whether or not to give you the Cascade Badge." Sasuke's eyes narrowed even further. "You really should be nicer to your Pokémon."

"I know my Pokémon's limits," Sasuke spat at her.

"But that doesn't mean you have to push them to them," Kurenai warned, her eyes narrowing as well. "Your Charmeleon was paralyzed. You shouldn't have forced it to keep battling since it was struggling so much."

"But I would have lost if I used my Ekans," Sasuke pointed out.

"True," Kurenai conceded, "but if I'm going to give you the Cascade Badge, you have to swear that you will treat your Pokémon with more love and kindness." Sasuke looked back at his Charmeleon, who was standing near Sakura. Sakura was patting his Pokémon on the head gently with one hand and holding an empty phial in the other. Charmeleon licked her face, and she giggled. "Now it appears I have one more challenger." Naruto nudged Sakura.

"Sakura-chan," he whispered.

"Oh!" Sakura gasped. "No, not me. I don't really battle." Kurenai smirked a little.

"So you're just here for moral support?" she guessed.

"Yeah!" Sakura said. Sasuke sighed impatiently.

"So do I get the badge or not?" he demanded. Kurenai's expression turned cold once more.

"Yes," she said. Sasuke's tense shoulders relaxed slightly. "For your skill in battle. Nothing more. Be kinder to your Pokémon." She handed him the same teardrop-shaped badge, and Sasuke took it wordlessly and turned to leave. Kurenai's eyes narrowed again. "You know, seeing you so arrogant and full of yourself, I find it hard to believe that you're Itachi's brother." Sasuke spun on his heel and glared at Kurenai.

"What did you say?" he hissed. All color drained from Naruto and Sakura's faces.

"Time to go," Naruto whispered faintly as he grabbed one of Sasuke's arms.

"I agree," Sakura said, grabbing Sasuke's other arm. The two proceeded to drag Sasuke out of the Gym by force.

"Thanks so much, Kurenai-san!" Naruto hollered.

* * *

><p>Sasuke glared at nothing in particular as he ran his fingers over the Pokeballs at his belt. Sakura sat on the ground, humming to herself absentmindedly. "She's right, you know," she said suddenly, without looking up. Sasuke turned to look at her.<p>

"Who?" he asked.

"The Gym leader," Sakura clarified. "You really should treat your Pokémon with more love and kindness." Sasuke snapped his head away from her.

"That will just make them weak," he said, more to himself than to Sakura. Sakura let out a heavy sigh.

"Can you release your Pokémon for just a second?" she asked. Sasuke raised his eyebrows questioningly before obeying. Sakura moved to her knees so that she was at eye level with Sasuke's Charmeleon. She pat the Charmeleon gently on the head. "That's not true. When you're dealing with Pokémon, it's a two-way street. Treat them with love and kindness, and they'll respect you and love you back. If they respect you, then they'll be better battlers because they'll listen to your commands. Did you hear what she said to Naruto? About how he had such a great bond with his Magikarp – I mean Gyrados – that it was able to battle on its own accord without any instruction from Naruto? That only happens when you and your Pokémon truly understand each other…" She trailed off as she moved her hand towards Sasuke's Ekans. Ekans licked her fingers, and she giggled. "Usually, you can only get that kind of bond with your Pokémon after spending weeks, if not months with them."

"Then how did Naruto get that kind of bond?" Sasuke asked. Sakura's hand froze in mid air, and Ekans licked it incessantly.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I guess he's just that kind of person. He wants to be friends with everybody. He just wants everyone to love him." Sasuke knelt down next to Sakura.

"So you're saying I'll become a stronger trainer if I form that kind of bond with my Pokémon," he said. Sakura nodded and smiled.

"Yeah," she said airily. Sasuke's gaze lingered on her for a second before he turned it to his Charmeleon. He began to stroke the top of his Pokémon's head.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered, "if I pushed you too hard."

"Char!" Charmeleon barked, grinning. Sasuke smirked, and Sakura giggled.

"Isn't that nice?" she asked. "It looks like you're on the right track." She stood up and dusted herself off. "Well, I guess I better get going. See you later Sasuke-kun!" Sasuke didn't even look up when she turned to leave. He just kept petting his Charmeleon on the head.

* * *

><p>"No way!" Naruto's mother, Kushina gasped. "You actually beat Kurenai!"<p>

"Yup!" Naruto said proudly. He stood in the Pokémon Center in front of a screen, talking to his mother via video phone. His red-haired mother wore an apron and she held a spatula in one hand. His father Minato stood next to hear, wearing a navy blue sweatshirt.

"Congratulations, Naruto," he said warmly.

"Thanks, _Otou-san_!" Naruto said cheerfully.

"You know, you really should call us more often," Kushina advised, pointing the spatula to the screen. "It's getting too quiet over here." Minato chuckled softly.

"That's just your mother's way of saying we miss you," Minato clarified. Naruto laughed.

"Well, I've got to go," he said absentmindedly. "By _Okaa-san_! Bye _Otou-san_!" He turned off the screen and walked out of the Pokémon Center. Today was absolutely amazing. He had just won the Cascade Badge _and_ Kurenai's trust, something that apparently was extremely hard to come by. There was only one thing that made it all better. A little ways away from the Pokémon Center, Naruto caught a glimpse of a girl with short dark hair. She turned her head slightly, and he saw lavender eyes. His grin widened as he broke into a sprint. "Hinata-chan!" he yelled. "Hey! Hinata-chan!" She turned towards him, her eyes widening in shock, and her cheeks taking on a reddish hue. "Hey, great to see you here!"

"H-Hi Naruto-kun," she greeted quietly, her face turning a deeper shade of red.

"Wow, I haven't seen you in forever!" Naruto commented. "Why don't we go get ice cream or ramen or something and catch up?" Hinata's eyes widened even more.

"Me?" she whimpered as her face turned a deeper shade of red. "Go with you?" Naruto tilted his head to the side as he noticed her vivid blush.

"Hey, your face is really red," he observed. He placed his hand on her forehead. "Are you ok? Are you getting sick?" Her eyes widened even more before she let out a small shriek and promptly collapsed. "Hey, Hinata-chan? Hinata-chan?"

XX

**Since there wasn't much of a break between the last chapter and this one, Naruto, Sakura and Sasuke's Pokémon levels didn't really change. But, for your convenience, here they are anyway:**

**Naruto: Saur (level 18 Ivysaur), Pika (level 17 Pikachu), Gyrados (level 20)**

**Sasuke: Charmeleon (level 20) and Ekans (level 19)**

**Sakura: Chansey (level 21), Kame-chan (level 12 Squirtle) and Onix (level 15)**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


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